The adoption movement is going to provide a major impetus to the development of comprehensive disability ministry in churches that haven’t yet been intentional about including kids with disabilities and their families. As churches seek to support families who adopt children with disabilities, their awareness of the needs of families outside of the church will continue to grow.
I’m astounded by the breadth and depth of expertise developing within the field of disability ministry. Our Program Committee for Inclusion Fusion 2012 is working from a list of over sixty prospective faculty! At the same time, I’m aware of how few leaders and organizations are focused on the needs of families impacted by less visible disabilities that nevertheless pose significant barriers to church attendance and spiritual development.
We recently heard from the special needs ministry director of a church Key Ministry started serving in 2012. Their church made a very intentional effort to include kids with disabilities in their Vacation Bible School a couple of weeks ago. During the week, four of the kids with identified disabilities made initial professions of faith in Jesus. By the end of the week, at least one of the kids invited two adults with developmental disabilities to the conclusion of VBS, and the Sunday after VBS concluded, ALL of the kids who accepted Christ (and their guests) were in church with their families. One of my Board members commented that if our ministry ends tomorrow, all of the time, money, energy and effort that everyone has put into Key Ministry will have been worth it because of the impact upon those four kids and their families. I agree with him.
Key Ministry’s mission is to help churches reach families affected by disability by providing FREE resources to pastors, volunteers, and individuals who wish to create an inclusive ministry environment. We have designed our Key Catalog to create fun opportunities for our ministry supporters to join in our mission through supporting a variety of gift options. Click here to check it out! For a sixty second summary of what Key Ministry does, watch the video below…
Our friend Laura Lee Wright is contemplating a study examining critical success factors and barriers for individuals with visible disabilities to becoming leaders. I thought I’d share links to a couple of excellent articles for your Sunday reading pleasure that postulate specific advantages to two hidden disabilities in the formation of successful leaders.
The first article, The Upside of Depression was published in the New York Times Magazine in February, 2010. Genes associated with decreased serotonin activity in the brain have been linked to depression and anxiety. Recent studies have also shown increased activity in a region of the brain (ventrolateral prefrontal cortex) in patients with depression associated with the ability to maintain attention. As a result, people who are predisposed to obsessing or “ruminating” about specific problems may have a unique ability to marshal their attention for the purpose of analyzing and breaking down complex problems. To quote from the author…
But the reliance on the VLPFC doesn’t just lead us to fixate on our depressing situation; it also leads to an extremely analytical style of thinking. That’s because rumination is largely rooted in working memory, a kind of mental scratchpad that allows us to “work” with all the information stuck in consciousness. When people rely on working memory — and it doesn’t matter if they’re doing long division or contemplating a relationship gone wrong — they tend to think in a more deliberate fashion, breaking down their complex problems into their simpler parts.
The bad news is that this deliberate thought process is slow, tiresome and prone to distraction; the prefrontal cortex soon grows exhausted and gives out. Andrews and Thomson see depression as a way of bolstering our feeble analytical skills, making it easier to pay continuous attention to a difficult dilemma. The downcast mood and activation of the VLPFC are part of a “coordinated system” that, Andrews and Thomson say, exists “for the specific purpose of effectively analyzing the complex life problem that triggered the depression.” If depression didn’t exist — if we didn’t react to stress and trauma with endless ruminations — then we would be less likely to solve our predicaments. Wisdom isn’t cheap, and we pay for it with pain.
The second article, The Science of Success was featured in the Atlantic. Here’s the premise discussed in the article…an interesting thought for Christians in the adoption and foster care movements:
Most of us have genes that make us as hardy as dandelions: able to take root and survive almost anywhere. A few of us, however, are more like the orchid: fragile and fickle, but capable of blooming spectacularly if given greenhouse care. So holds a provocative new theory of genetics, which asserts that the very genes that give us the most trouble as a species, causing behaviors that are self-destructive and antisocial, also underlie humankind’s phenomenal adaptability and evolutionary success. With a bad environment and poor parenting, orchid children can end up depressed, drug-addicted, or in jail—but with the right environment and good parenting, they can grow up to be society’s most creative, successful, and happy people.
One final observation…In an earlier blog post, I shared my observation that a disproportionate number of church leaders, especially senior pastors-met the criteria for having ADHD. In my practice, I see a lot of kids from a very exclusive private school for boys who are being treated for ADHD. I started questioning myself as to why I was diagnosing more kids with ADHD from this school compared to others in our area. The answer was readily apparent. Most of the boys had fathers (or mothers) who were entrepreneurs or senior leaders in their respective companies…after all, these are the families with the money to pay the $25,000 in annual tuition. The vast majority of the families had at least one parent who was treated for ADHD, or would have been treated today based upon difficulties they experienced growing up.
I recently came across an interesting study that provides the first direct genetic link between ADHD and entrepreneurial ability. And many people aren’t aware that one of our most revered Presidents took Dexedrine for ADHD while he was in office.
I’m not so sure about the impact of visible disabilities upon ability to perform effectively in leadership positions, but there’s interesting evidence to suggest that traits associated with hidden disabilities may be very adaptive for some leaders.
Key Ministry depends upon financial support from individuals and churches to continue to provide FREE consultation, training, resources and support to churches seeking to minister with families impacted by disability. Giving to Key Ministry has never been easier! Just text the dollar amount you’d like to give to (440) 337-4338, and your donation will be made securely through software designed by the folks from lifechurch.tv who designed the “Bible” app you probably use on your smartphone or tablet.
Please consider a gift to Key Ministry as you consider your year-end giving!
Over the past couple of years, there have been many days and nights when my interactions and experiences with people from the church have made me question why I spend so much time and money and energy on a ministry organization to help families of kids with disabilities make connections with churches. I’ve been blessed to have received numerous reminders over the past week or two as to why being connected to other Christ followers is so important.
Yesterday, I opened my Facebook messages and found the kindest, most encouraging note from a follower of the blog who I’ve corresponded with, but never met in person. This individual managed to discern that I personally, as well as our entire ministry team had been under a great deal of duress and shared that she had taken the time to pray for me as well as our team. I cried…an event usually reserved for the Indians winning the pennant or Ohio State winning a national championship.
Later in the day, my small group leader of nearly 25 years e-mailed me and asked me if I wanted to hang out and brainstorm some Key Ministry stuff. I’m not sure that we solved the problems we set out to discuss, but I left feeling very encouraged…and important. I’ve discovered that I have some Board members who care about me a lot outside of our mutual ministry adventure. Because of being grounded in God’s Word and the church, my wife (often my most challenging critic) has been my biggest supporter and encourager of late.
In any event, I’d appreciate your prayers for discernment over a BIG issue I’m struggling with. There are injustices that I observe along with extremely disturbing cultural trends in the course of the day to day work I do with kids and families about which I feel compelled to speak. Despite my best efforts to speak in a manner that encompasses both grace and truth, I know (and our ministry team certainly knows) that sooner, as opposed to later, somebody will be offended by stuff I say or write. Is the need to speak out in such a manner incompatible with serving in a prominent leadership position in a ministry organization like ours?
I ask the question in the context of highly valuing both the freedom of conscience that compels individuals to speak out when led to do so, as well as the importance of relationship. Some of you may have noticed that, for the first and only time, I yanked a post the other night that was generating lots of conversation and discussion. I did that because a member of our ministry team who I highly value and respect asked me to do so. I would want my teammates to do the same for me (even when they’re right) in a situation in which I was experiencing great distress. At the same time, there are also times when people (and organizations) need to hear the truth spoken in love. So…I very much appreciate prayers for wisdom and discernment as we try to work some of these issues out.
One last thing…Churches can be pretty harsh and critical places. But they can also be places where we can find affirmation, encouragement and acceptance. Over the last couple of years, there were some times that I drove a considerable distance to go back and visit a church I’d belonged to in the past to spend time with people who knew me and appreciated me anyway. This Sunday, can you take the time to thank and encourage the pastor who spent 25 hours reading and researching to preach the sermon you just heard, the high school kid who gets up early on Sunday morning while her friends are still in bed to volunteer so that your kid can have a great Sunday School experience and the mom or dad who give up a night with their family every week so that your teenager has a small group to attend? Leaders feel it’s wrong to ask for encouragement, but they need it as much as they need oxygen or water.
Thanks for your prayers and support!
Key Ministry’s mission is to help churches reach families affected by disability by providing FREE resources to pastors, volunteers, and individuals who wish to create an inclusive ministry environment. We have designed our Key Catalog to create fun opportunities for our ministry supporters to join in our mission through supporting a variety of gift options. Click here to check it out! For a sixty second summary of what Key Ministry does, watch the video below…
“Don’t be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don’t be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they’ve done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don’t worry about what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.”
“When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you’ve run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.
“A student doesn’t get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn’t make more money than his boss. Be content—pleased, even—when you, my students, my harvest hands, get the same treatment I get. If they call me, the Master, ‘Dungface,’ what can the workers expect?
“Don’t be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. So don’t hesitate to go public now.
“Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.
Matthew 10:17-28 (MSG)
But before any of this happens, they’ll arrest you, hunt you down, and drag you to court and jail. It will go from bad to worse, dog-eat-dog, everyone at your throat because you carry my name. You’ll end up on the witness stand, called to testify. Make up your mind right now not to worry about it. I’ll give you the words and wisdom that will reduce all your accusers to stammers and stutters.
“You’ll even be turned in by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. Some of you will be killed. There’s no telling who will hate you because of me. Even so, every detail of your body and soul—even the hairs of your head!—is in my care; nothing of you will be lost. Staying with it—that’s what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry; you’ll be saved.
Luke 21:12-19 (MSG)
“If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world’s terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God’s terms and no longer on the world’s terms, the world is going to hate you.
“When that happens, remember this: Servants don’t get better treatment than their masters. If they beat on me, they will certainly beat on you. If they did what I told them, they will do what you tell them.
“They are going to do all these things to you because of the way they treated me, because they don’t know the One who sent me. If I hadn’t come and told them all this in plain language, it wouldn’t be so bad. As it is, they have no excuse. Hate me, hate my Father—it’s all the same. If I hadn’t done what I have done among them, works no one has ever done, they wouldn’t be to blame. But they saw the God-signs and hated anyway, both me and my Father. Interesting—they have verified the truth of their own Scriptures where it is written, ‘They hated me for no good reason.’
“When the Friend I plan to send you from the Father comes—the Spirit of Truth issuing from the Father—he will confirm everything about me. You, too, from your side must give your confirming evidence, since you are in this with me from the start.”
John 15:18-27 (MSG)
Each passage of Scripture referenced above represents wisdom Jesus imparted to his apostles at critical times in their ministry. The passage from Matthew 10 represents Jesus” marching orders before the apostles left for their first “mission trip” without him. His teaching in Luke occurred in Jerusalem during the cascade of events leading to his trial and crucifixion. The passage in John was from Jesus’ teaching in the Upper Room on the night before his death. Jesus is eminently clear in his communication. If we as Christians identify with Jesus, seek to do His will and work to expand His Kingdom, we can expect others will…
Seek to destroy our reputation
Attempt to intimidate us and silence us
Use government authorities to try to stop us
Hate us
I became a big fan of Chick-fil-A (especially the chicken biscuits) during regular trips to the South last decade. The food was great, but the people I met who were involved with even more impressive. The excellence with which they seek to serve their customers is an outgrowth of their faith.
As I thought about the situation with Chick-fil-A this past week, it occurred to me that it’s not really about Chick-fil-A, or even the topic in question. It’s about Jesus…and His Word. Allow me to put on my psychiatrist’s hat and share my formulation…
The “elephant in the living room” in our ongoing culture wars is that Jesus, Christianity and the teachings of Scripture make some people very, very uncomfortable. After all, if Jesus is who He says He is and if the Bible is what it claims to be (the inerrant Word of God), a response is demanded of each of us. God’s standard is PERFECTION. NONE of us are capable of meeting the standard on our own. Recognition of our own inadequacy to save ourselves and the desire to receive God’s grace and forgiveness lead us, through faith, to acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord. We then seek to be obedient to Him and embark upon a process in which our actions and desires over time become aligned with his desires. But some people aren’t ready to go there.
So…how does one cope with the anxiety that results when confronted by the claims of Christianity if you’re not willing to submit to Christ? People use defense mechanisms… unconscious psychological strategies designed to protect the mind from anxiety and respond to situations in which the individual would otherwise be unable to cope.
Examples of defense mechanisms include projection…undesirable thoughts or behaviors in oneself are attributed to someone else. Example…Christians who publicly endorse “traditional values” are “hate-filled,” “bigoted” or “mean-spirited.”
Rationalization…making excuses. We can’t be held responsible for patters of behavior that are “genetic” in nature.
Our suffocating culture of political correctness represents a group attempt to create a culture in which expression of opposing views is unacceptable because exposure to such views could result in some experiencing distress. In my experience, the folks most likely to be insulated from any divergent thinking are those who work in academia. The value of moral relativism has been elevated above all others in that culture.
The greater the threat an individual perceives in their environment and the greater their unresolved anxiety, the more tenaciously they’ll cling to their defense mechanisms. Think of the religious and political leaders in Jesus’ time. They were VERY threatened by Jesus’ claims and His repeated demonstrations of their ineffectiveness and hypocrisy. So how are we to respond?
Jesus prepared his apostles…and us…for what we’re likely to face.
First, if you don’t want people to hate you, don’t be intentional about living out your faith in front of others. If you stand for nothing and don’t ever say or do anything that reflects the character of Jesus, you’ll be left alone. You won’t be “de-friended” on Facebook. You’ll also fail to fulfill your purpose in living. You represent Jesus, you deal with the garbage He dealt with. Don’t believe me. Check out the words above in red. He said so.
Second, we shouldn’t be out looking to start arguments with other people, but we need to be prepared when the opportunity arises to give a reason for the hope we have in Jesus. Dan Cathy from Chick-fil-A wasn’t out trying to provoke those who support changing the traditional definition of marriage in an interview with Biblical Reporter and during a radio program hosted by the MC of the Catalyst Conference. Jesus always treated those outside of the organized Jewish religious hierarchy with sensitivity and grace. We need to as well. Those of us who advocate and care for kids with disabilities and their families have the opportunity to be “light” to folks within academic medicine and the therapeutic community who may rarely come in contact with colleagues who are Christ-followers. The manner in which we conduct ourselves can go a long way in undermining the construct leaders of culture would seek to perpetuate of Christians…hate-filled, uneducated and narrow-minded.
An unintended benefit of the current controversy involving Chick-fil-A is that many more people are now aware of the witness of the Cathy family and God has been honored.And I have no doubt their restaurants will have MORE customers as a result.
Finally, Jesus has our back. If we put ourselves forward on his behalf, submit to his will and seek to be about his work, the Holy Spirit will give us the words we need when problems arise. He also reminds us that our ultimate well-being is in His hands…not those who hate him.
I do think it’s important for those of us who identify with Christ to be honest with one another when we’re wrong but also to support and encourage one another through difficulties and trials. I’ll be having breakfast Wednesday morning at 8:00 AM at the Harvard Park Chick-fil-A in Warrensville Heights, OH near the new Ahuja Medical Center. I’d be delighted to buy breakfast for any follower of this blog or supporter of Key Ministry.
Key Ministry’s mission is to help churches reach families affected by disability by providing FREE resources to pastors, volunteers, and individuals who wish to create an inclusive ministry environment. We have designed our Key Catalog to create fun opportunities for our ministry supporters to join in our mission through supporting a variety of gift options. Click here to check it out! For a sixty second summary of what Key Ministry does, watch the video below…
Our Program Committee is excited to have received some excellent submissions from prospective speakers for this year’s Inclusion Fusion Disability Ministry Web Summit. We want to draw attention to “up and coming” leaders with fresh ideas to contribute to the disability ministry movement, and offer an opportunity to folks with great stuff to share but haven’t been able to break into the conference circuit, because the deadline for new submissions (Tuesday, July 31st at 11:59 PM Eastern Time) is rapidly approaching!
We’re sending out a final reminder to pastors, ministry directors, volunteers, families and anyone else with passion for seeing families of kids with disabilities connect with local churches. A member of the Program Committee will be in touch with every speaker who served on faculty last year…you need not reapply at this time.
The opportunity to serve as an Inclusion Fusion faculty member to any member of our larger family in Christ with excellent ideas or strategies to contribute to the field of disability ministry. After all, doesn’t that reflect what it means to be inclusive?
If you or someone you know has implemented an innovative ministry strategy for serving kids or adults with disabilities or developed resources to support families with the spiritual challenges they face in raising kids with disabilities, here’s your invitation to apply to join our faculty for Inclusion Fusion 2012, scheduled for November 12th-16th 2012.
We’re looking for cutting-edge presentations from leaders working in the field of disability ministry and we encourage discussion of diverse ideas and views. Some areas of concentration under active consideration for this year’s Inclusion Fusion, topics under consideration include family-based ministry, outward-focused inclusion, “hidden disabilities,” curriculum adaptation, innovative inclusion, orphan care and volunteer/team development. We encourage submissions from leaders working in small church environments.
Applicants are required to have the technical resources to produce their video presentations for the conference and transmit the finished video to our partners at Pajama Conference. We’re suggesting presentations of 15-20 minutes in length (30 minutes maximum) in order to accommodate as many speakers as possible for this year’s Inclusion Fusion.
Last year’s inaugural conference (featuring keynote speaker Chuck Swindoll) served over 1,300 registrants, including senior pastors, ministry leaders, church staff and volunteers from 42 states and five countries.
Prospective faculty members can submit ideas for presentations by clicking this link. Here’s a list of featured presentations from last year’s conference. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, July 31 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Prospective faculty are required to submit links to video of any previous teaching or training presented on topics related to special needs or disability ministry.
The Inclusion Fusion Program Committee plans to make final determinations on the faculty lineup by Friday, August 31. Submissions are not a guarantee of acceptance! Faculty are required to submit final copies of video presentations and Power Point handouts by Friday, October 5.
Please share this invitation with leaders who need to be part of Inclusion Fusion 2012! Feel free as well to share suggestions for this year’s speaker lineup in the comments section below, or directly with me at steve@keyministry.org.
Key Ministry’s mission is to help churches reach families affected by disability by providing FREE resources to pastors, volunteers, and individuals who wish to create an inclusive ministry environment. We have designed our Key Catalog to create fun opportunities for our ministry supporters to join in our mission through supporting a variety of gift options. Click here to check it out! For a sixty second summary of what Key Ministry does, watch the video below…
I’m honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the 2012 Family Ministry “FAMMIN” blog tour, organized by Matt Norman, Children’s Pastor of The Rock Church in Winter Haven, FL and managing editor of the well-known children’s ministry website Kidmin1124. I’ll be one of many bloggers over the summer examining the question “What is family ministry?” My post is scheduled for Friday, August 24th.
A blog tour is an opportunity for many different people to discuss a specific topic on a pre-established schedule. The contributors Matt has lined up include many leading figures in children’s and family ministry, including Amy Dolan from last year’s Inclusion Fusion and our very popular guest blogger Mike Woods from First Baptist Orlando.
Here’s a link where you can check out some of the earlier posts from the blog tour. These posts are worth checking out. In 2011, we devoted several months to a blog series on the importance of family ministry approaches in effectively serving kids with disabilities and their families. I’m confident that church staff and volunteers who apply the principles and strategies central to the family ministry movement will be better prepared to support parents as they share their faith with their children with emotional, behavioral and developmental disorders.
Check it out!
For readers who aren’t tech obsessed, #fammin is the Twitter hashtag for family ministry posts.
Key Ministry’s mission is to help churches reach families affected by disability by providing FREE resources to pastors, volunteers, and individuals who wish to create an inclusive ministry environment. We have designed our Key Catalog to create fun opportunities for our ministry supporters to join in our mission through supporting a variety of gift options. Click here to check it out! For a sixty second summary of what Key Ministry does, watch the video below…
This has been an awful night. I’ve been reminded of a principle through considerable physical and emotional distress.
God gives us wonderful gifts for use in serving others and building His Kingdom. One of mine is the ability to become “hyperfocused” on a specific project, goal or pursuit. When I was younger, I used to refer to this ability as having a “sixth gear.”
Because of the way in which I’m wired, I can drive myself pretty hard when focused on a mission… especially a mission as important as the one our team has with Key Ministry. After all, service can be worship when done for the purpose of honoring God.
The problem is that while God is honored by our acts of service, what He wants more than our service is a relationship with us. It’s easy for each of us to be caught up in our self-sufficiency…in our workplaces, caring for a child with a disability…that God often finds the need to get our attention by coming after and taking away an area of strength to remind us of the need to not just do for Him, but to seek Him.
It’s too easy to rely on ourselves for way too long and to run all kinds of stop signs in the course of trying to “do” for God. In my case, ignoring admonitions to rest has brought me to the point at which whatever capacity I had to self-regulate emotion is pretty much shot. I should know better.
Looking for the pony in the pile of you-know-what, I started thinking about what might help the parents and families in my practice and those served by our Key Ministry crew when they get to this point. One can look in the Bible at Job’s friends and figure out what not to do. Something I thought might be helpful to folks when they get to the end of their physical or emotional strength are reminders of the impact they’ve had through their service, along with relief from a burden so they can rest.
God WILL give us more than we can handle because He wants for us to have a relationship with Him more than anything else and often, the only way He can get our attention for long enough to do that is to render us helpless.
Here’s a great video from PBS featuring a number of our ministry friends in the Orlando area…While the video primarily focuses on kids with very visible disabilities, I can’t think of a better way to illustrate to folks why we, and our colleagues in the movement to transform churches into places of inclusion for persons with disabilities and their families do the work that we do. The video is reasonably short…click on the picture below to view the video. Enjoy-and share!
Key Ministry’s mission is to help churches reach families affected by disability by providing FREE resources to pastors, volunteers, and individuals who wish to create an inclusive ministry environment. We have designed our Key Catalog to create fun opportunities for our ministry supporters to join in our mission through supporting a variety of gift options. Click here to check it out! For a sixty second summary of what Key Ministry does, watch the video below…
When our team at Key Ministry developed the concept for Inclusion Fusion, we intended to create an event featuring Kingdom-minded leaders honoring God through innovative ministry to persons with disabilities and their families. We want to draw attention to “up and coming” leaders with fresh ideas to contribute to the disability ministry movement. That’s where you come in…
Our Program Committee can’t possibly be aware of every leader with great ideas to contribute to pastors, church staff, volunteers and families involved in disability ministry. We need your help!
It’s time again for us to offer the opportunity to serve as an Inclusion Fusion faculty member to any member of our larger family in Christ with excellent ideas or strategies to contribute to the field of disability ministry. After all, doesn’t that reflect what it means to be inclusive?
If you or someone you know has implemented an innovative ministry strategy for serving kids or adults with disabilities or developed resources to support families with the spiritual challenges they face in raising kids with disabilities and would like a platform to share ideas with other leaders in the special needs or disability ministry communities, here’s your invitation to apply to join our faculty for Inclusion Fusion 2012, scheduled for November 12th-16th 2012.
We’re looking for cutting-edge presentations from leaders working in the field of disability ministry and we encourage discussion of diverse ideas and views. While our Program Committee hasn’t yet established areas of concentration for this year’s Inclusion Fusion, topics under consideration include family-based disability ministry, outwardly-focused ministry, mental health, respite care, trauma, adoption and international disability ministry. Our Program Committee encourages submissions from leaders working in small church environments.
Applicants are required to have the technical resources to produce their video presentations for the conference and transmit the finished video to our partners at Pajama Conference. We’re suggesting presentations of 15-20 minutes in length (30 minutes maximum) in order to accommodate as many speakers as possible for this year’s Inclusion Fusion.
Last year’s inaugural conference (featuring keynote speaker Chuck Swindoll) served over 1,300 registrants, including senior pastors, ministry leaders, church staff and volunteers from 42 states and five countries.
Prospective faculty members can submit ideas for presentations by clicking this link. Here’s a list of featured presentations from last year’s conference. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, July 31 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Prospective faculty are required to submit links to video of any previous teaching or training presented on topics related to special needs or disability ministry.
The Inclusion Fusion Program Committee plans to make final determinations on the faculty lineup by Friday, August 31. Faculty are required to submit final copies of video presentations and Power Point handouts by Friday, October 5.
Please share this invitation with leaders who need to be part of Inclusion Fusion 2012! Feel free as well to share suggestions for this year’s speaker lineup in the comments section below, or directly with me at steve@keyministry.org.
Key Ministry’s mission is to help churches reach families affected by disability by providing FREE resources to pastors, volunteers, and individuals who wish to create an inclusive ministry environment. We invite you to partner with us as we advance the Kingdom through our collaboration with the local and global church. We have designed our Key Catalog to create fun opportunities for our ministry supporters to join in our mission. The Key Catalog includes a variety of gift options for every budget. A gift from the Key Catalog also makes for an amazing gift for a friend or loved one who is passionate about seeing the Body of Christ become more inclusive of people with disabilities. Click here to check it out!
We’re very blessed as a ministry with some extremely talented volunteers. One of our most creative and talented Board members is Stephen Burks. Stephen serves as Pastor of Worship and Creative Arts at Fellowship Bible Church in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and started Good City Productions as a means of funding a growing ministry he’s leading to help artists learn to integrate art and faith and live missionally.
Stephen’s gift to our ministry this year is a video that describes more eloquently why we do what we do better than anything I could write on this blog…
Key Ministry’s mission is to help churches reach families affected by disability by providing FREE resources to pastors, volunteers, and individuals who wish to create an inclusive ministry environment. We invite you to partner with us as we advance the Kingdom through our collaboration with the local and global church. We have designed our Key Catalog to create fun opportunities for our ministry supporters to join in our mission. The Key Catalog includes a variety of gift options for every budget. A gift from the Key Catalog also makes for an amazing gift for a friend or loved one who is passionate about seeing the Body of Christ become more inclusive of people with disabilities. Click here to check it out!
Three random thoughts during a very busy time…
Church4EveryChild 